Words of Radiance

So. Long. Also, the plot armor is so thick... but I liked it well enough anyway. Had some genuine surprises. ( )

Fall/Winter 2020 (Nov-Dec);

I feel like I will get less and less able to write about these books, rather than more and more, as I go one. They pull you in and gobble you up, and when you come out, you are looking around blearily confused and amazed the universe even still exists. The second over a thousand-page book by this man that I have basically no true complaint about anywhere in sight (which you all know as someone who basically averages book grading at 3.5 or less per year is astonishing, but somehow this man is magic).

These storylines are so long, so overarching that I feel like Sanderson is going to join that placement next to (.... or even beyond? ? ?) JMS in my head for this because you can tell he's planning several books ahead of himself, and yet there are over a thousand pages. Every character has a realistic and reliable arc that paints such pictures of growth and true emotion you can't help but feel both for and along with each of the pov characters (and even a good dozen of the ones centered around each of those).

I am already partially into [b:Oathbringer|34002132|Oathbringer (The Stormlight Archive, #3)|Brandon Sanderson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1507307833l/34002132._SY75_.jpg|23840254], though as you've seen if you've been following tonight's mountain of reviews, had to put it down briefly for the books so far released in the [b:Skyward|36642458|Skyward (Skyward, #1)|Brandon Sanderson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1531845177l/36642458._SY75_.jpg|58411143] series & then I took a small trip to the side to start [b:Gideon the Ninth|42036538|Gideon the Ninth (The Locked Tomb #1)|Tamsyn Muir|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546870952l/42036538._SY75_.jpg|60943229], but I'm already chomping at the bit for [b:Oathbringer|34002132|Oathbringer (The Stormlight Archive, #3)|Brandon Sanderson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1507307833l/34002132._SY75_.jpg|23840254] to be among the first books I finish in January's reviews. ( )

“I am offend!” Shallan yelled. “You have offended Her Highness again!”

“Very offend!”

“You’d better apologize.”

“No apologize!” Shallan declared. “Boots!”

Kal leaned back, looking between the two of them, trying to parse what had just been said. “Boots?” he asked.

“Yes,” Shallan said. “I am liking your boots. You will apology with boots.”

“You . . . want my boots?”

“Did you not hear Her Highness?” Tyn asked, arms folded. “Are soldiers of this Dalinar Kholin’s army so disrespectful?”

“I’m not disrespectful,” Kal said. “But I’m not giving her my boots.”

“You insult!” Shallan declared, stepping forward, pointing at him. Stormfather, those horses were enormous! “I will tell all who are to listen! When arriving, I will say, ‘Kholin is stealer of boots and taker of women’s virtue!’”

Kal sputtered. “Virtue!”

“Yes,” Shallan said; then she glanced over to Tyn. “Virtue? No, wrong word. Virture . . . No . . . Vesture. Vesture! Taker of woman’s vesture! That is word I wanted.”

The soldier glanced to his companions, looking confused. Drat, Shallan thought. Good puns are lost on men with poor vocabulary.


Words of Radiance takes [b:The Way of Kings|7235533|The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive, #1)|Brandon Sanderson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388184640s/7235533.jpg|8134945] and builds it up in all the right ways... only to tear everything down once again.

Kadadin saves the day... and then royally screws things up. His time among the bridgemen is something special and we really get to see him fighting through depression and becoming the best of what he can be.

Shallan achieves what she came for... and then royally screws things up. Even without Jasnah's help, she manages to make it to the Shattered Plains and mix things up in ways that I'm sure no one quite expected. She's still plenty messed up though. That is only going to come back to bite her at some point.

The Parshendi figure out a new way to return to what they once had... and royally screw things up.

All throughout, Dalinar is so sure that he's doing the right thing, even if no one believes him. And at the end... things go so very wrong for the entire world. But at the same time, old things have come again...

Words of Radiance is a wonderful book and a worthy followup to [b:The Way of Kings|7235533|The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive, #1)|Brandon Sanderson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388184640s/7235533.jpg|8134945]. Even better... this time around I can go straight into Oathbringer!

Random side note... Syl's a lot of fun:


“Giving up all pretense of obeying natural laws again, I see,” he said.

“Natural laws?” Syl said, finding the concept amusing. “Laws are of men, Kaladin. Nature doesn’t have them!”

“If I toss something upward, it comes back down.”

“Except when it doesn’t.”

“It’s a law.”

“No,” Syl said, looking upward. “It’s more like . . . more like an agreement among friends.”

He looked at her, raising an eyebrow.

“We have to be consistent,” she said, leaning in conspiratorially. “Or we’ll break your brains.”
( )

It's 1111 pages - you'll wish it was longer. Continuing development of the characters and the world makes it read much quicker than you can imagine. The characters aren't perfect, they make mistakes but on the whole they learn and become more than they were. Bring on #3. ( )

Mysterious, dangerous magic, vendettas and high stakes battles keep you on the edge for this entire book. Characters you want to succeed have moments of glory, mixed with despair. ( )